Complications Of Unsafe Abortion At The Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe, North-east Nigera: A 10 Year Review

Abstract

Background: Complicated abortion is a major cause of maternal morbidity and mortality world-wide, the majority of which are due to unsafe induced abortions. This is particularly so in developing nations due to restrictive abortion laws and scarcity of post-abortion care services. Objectives: The objective of the study was to describe the nature of complications from unsafe abortions, associated factors, and its contribution to maternal mortality in the hospital. Materials and methods: This was a 10 year retrospective study of all complicated abortions admitted at the federal teaching hospital from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2019. Data was extracted from the patients folders and analyzed. A proforma was used to obtain information on the nature and type of complication, factors associated with unsafe abortion and its contribution to maternal mortality during the period of the study. Chi-square was used to compare association with p value of less than 0.05 set for statistical significance. Results: Sixty-two cases of complicated abortions were admitted during the study period and 38.7% (24) were from unsafe induced abortions. The most common complication was hemorrhage (43.5%). Younger age was more associated with induced abortions-65.2% vs. 12.5% for ages 20-24 years and 30-34years respectively, 90.9% of those with induced abortions did not desire the pregnancy and 95% of the induced abortions were among singles ladies (p-value <0.001). There were six (9.7 %) mortalities all of which were due to unsafe induced abortions (p-value 0.002). Conclusion: Complications of abortions continue to be a major contributor to maternal morbidity and mortality in Gombe, Nigeria. Most of the morbidities and mortalities occur in young and single women that had unsafe abortion.